This book = BOOK CLUB GOLD!!!

There is so much to chew on and discuss here that book clubs across the globe will be talking about this book come February!

Claire is only 7 years old while vacationing with her family on the tropical island of Saint X. Claire is a quiet child, some may even say a bit odd, but one thing is for certain: Claire and her big sister Alison share a tight bond. She admires Alison's beauty, her wit, her intelligence, the way that she lights up a room, the way people gravitate toward her. These are all things she feels she lacks herself so on a pedestal of her own making Alison goes. Alison on the other hand worries that the shy Claire is too vulnerable for this big bad world and likes to keep her under her wing.

On the last evening of their vacation Alison doesn't come home. A search is initiated and after several weeks her body is discovered in the waters of Faraway Cay. Two of the resort workers, Edwin and Clive, that Alison became chummy with, are questioned but are released due to lack of evidence. No one has ever been charged and this will go down as a local mystery that makes national headlines.

In the present day Claire finds herself making a living in NYC. One day when she flags down a cab she notices upon exiting that the cab drivers name is Clive Richardson. He was one of the young men at the resort that was questioned and released. Claire becomes obsessed with insinuating herself into his life determined to find out what happened to Alison once and for all.

The more Claire looks into the past she is beginning to discover that the Alison she remembers is not who Alison actually was. Being as she was only 7 she saw the 18 year old Alison as a shining star but it turns out that may not be the case and this unsettles her.

I'll be honest and tell you that I didn't really like Alison or the adult Claire very much. As we get to know Alison she comes across as self righteous and bratty. She resents her lovely and loving parents so much that I found it off-putting. I just wanted to scream in my kindle "YOU SPOILED LITTLE BRAT!"

Rich vs. Poor. Black vs. White. These themes run the entirety of the novel.

The ending will have people talking I'm sure. Personally, I didn't mind it but others may not like it.

As I turned the final page I was surprised to discover that the person who stole my heart wasn't who I thought it was going to be when I opened this book up.

Alexis Schaitkin, I bow to you. You can spin a tale like no other. The atmosphere she creates is truly incredible. I felt as if I had been transported to the beaches of Saint X and the streets of NYC while I was reading and that is a sign of phenomenal writing skills. This may also be the downfall of this book as well. It starts to get overly descriptive to the point that I would skim paragraphs just so I could return to the storytelling but, hey, if that's my only gripe then I'm a happy reader. Also, I can't forget to mention that cover is eye candy! 😍 4 stars!

One final note: Celadon, keep up the great work! You have quickly become one of my favorite publishers. 💗

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Saint X is a truly interesting look at the ways a life is altered following a major tragedy - from the family of the dead to those accused of murder - the people connected to the death of Allison Thomas would never be the same.

Following Allison's death on the carribean island Saint X, we see how her sister's life has changed alongside Clive, one of the men originally accused of her murder and some others as well. Saint X is not a mystery, but rather a slow burn, deep dive into how lives were changed as a result. While an interesting topic, I felt the book could have probably cut out 100 pages and still achieved the same message.

This book had me glued to my tablet. The pages flew by..you won't want it to end, and you can't believe what transpires. Great book!

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Alexis Schaitkin unspools a story of that 18-year-old we all know. The one with buckets of confidence and virtually no experience. Who wants to be thought well of, while never giving their parents the time of day. Who rolls her eyes, shows off her body, and keeps oodles of secrets.

In Saint X, Schaitkin’s debut novel, that young woman is Alison Thomas. Alison, not Ali. And Alison “spelled right.” She and her comfortably wealthy family are vacationing on a small Caribbean island during winter break. Her mom and dad always pick a warm spot to take Alison and her awkward seven year old sister, Claire, affectionately known as Clairey. On this trip, Alison is especially feeling her independence after a semester at college. She flirts with all the guys, and sneaks out to dance, drink, and smoke weed with locals.

Then the unthinkable happens. Her parents can’t find her on the last morning of the trip. It’s no spoiler to say Alison’s body is found several days later in a secluded spot. While part of the story is finding out how Alison died, the majority is discovering how Claire experienced the event. And what happens almost two decades later when Claire runs into one of the Saint X locals suspected of involvement in Alison’s death.

Schaitkin alternates between whodunit, love letter to Caribbean islands, and character study in Saint X, using a combination of Claire’s perspective, a third-person narrative, and snippets from other players in the mystery. She spins a complex tale, with lush descriptions of her locations.

My conclusions
I cared about and empathized with Claire’s emotions about losing her sister. Even many years later, her grief and confusion about events is palpable. I could see my own experiences in her choices to alternately ignore and obsess over Alison’s death. In this way the character study aspect of Saint X truly touched me.

But here’s the thing. There are elements in the mystery that fell flat and seemed extraneous for me. For example, Schaitkin gives several minor characters short, first-person chapters. They’re just weak attempts at red herrings. I didn’t necessarily care about how these people experienced their visit to the island, or another part of their life. It didn’t seem relevant to moving the story forward.

Thankfully, those sections are short and the novel quickly returns to its main protagonists. Schaitkin also works hard to get inside the head of her accused local, a man who’s never comfortable inside his own skin. He’s a more intriguing enigma than Claire, frankly. On the other hand, her use of island patois is inconsistent and distracting.

There’s plenty of grit and grime in the possible resolutions Schaitkin floats to the mystery of Alison Thomas. We know they’re based in the sad reality of actual people who lose their lives in popular vacation spots. In this case, I wish the resolution had been more satisfying. Alas, that’s also typical in these circumstances.

All of these reservations notwithstanding, I hope you’ll give Saint X a go. It publishes in Winter 2020, just when Northern Hemisphere folks are anxious for visions of blue water and warm, white sand. And a little mystery.

Acknowledgements
My thanks to Celadon Books, Macmillan, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced readers’ copy in exchange for this honest review.

This is a debut from this talented author. The writing was good but I feel it was a little too long. I lost interest about halfway through. I feel that it just wasn’t a good fit for me but clearly a favorite by many. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an opportunity to read this arc. I have it on order for my library. I am sure it will be a hit for many patrons.
#SaintX #NetGalley

I really liked this book! The plot moved along seamlessly, and the characters were detailed and well developed.
I would recommend this book!

This book will have you hooked within the first chapter! I loved the way it was written, you get weaved into a story that you know will not end well. Did not disappoint.

A beautifully written, poignant portrait of what happens to those left behind after tragedy takes a loved one.

Saint X, at first blush, is the story of Allison Thomas, found dead on a Caribbean Island after a night out during a family vacation. But we come to find this isn’t really Allison’s story. It’s that of her parents, the men suspected of murdering her, and mostly of her younger sister, who is still seeking answers in adulthood, long after Allison’s death.

Schaitkin writes gorgeously and is a masterful observer of both human emotion and setting. Her characters are complex and compelling.

Allison is not the most sympathetic victim (her self righteousness and misplaced anger at her lovely parents make her off-putting, though certainly her flaws didn’t make her deserving of her fate).

Schaitkin mitigates this by acknowledging that about her victim. She draws Allison as a young woman of many contractions, which makes her realistic and somewhat relatable, if not entirely lovable to the reader.

I didn’t love the “solve” of what happened to Allison, though it’s likely more realistic than what we imagine we’ll find out. I can appreciate why Schaitkin wrote it this way, but after all the buildup, it feels a bit like watching a balloon slowly deflate. This is especially frustrating because as a reader one feels for Claire in her desperate search for answers, and while any answer is better than no answer in this situation, it’s still a bit vague and murky in the end.

Semi-limp ending aside, Saint X is incredibly well written and gives a fascinating glimpse into the many ways in which grief manifests.

This book was very interesting. However I also felt like it was long and I found myself skimming a lot to get to the intriguing bits.

I could not put down this book. It was so interesting and the writing was great. I will definitely be recommending this to customers at my work!

Saint X is one of those rare books that encapsulate you in the past, present and future. I wasn't engaged in Alison's life and after finishing the book, I see now that I shouldn't have been. Alison's life wasn't the point of novel, but the catalyst for the destruction of the lives of those who surrounded her. The mystery- the obsession of what happened- consumes the characters and the reader. It is the consumption of her sister's life in the absence of Alison's that drives the story. It was a novel that I had problems putting down because my life, too, began to revolve around the people involved; as they drowned in their lives it felt like I was there, an observer to actual events.

I really enjoyed Saint X. At first, I was a bit skeptical about the decision to create a fictional island, but I quickly softened to the idea. I found the characters interesting and complex in this story that, at its heart, is more about the passing of time and loss than anything else.